The girl who challenged the ruthless king

Lylie had never seen Prince Michael before.

She had heard about him, of course. Everyone had.

The prodigy prince. The heir to the throne. The ruthless, untouchable warrior who had left for his studies abroad five years ago and was now returning as king.

Lylie wasn’t impressed.

“So he’s finally coming back?” she mused, running a comb through Ayanna’s hair. “Five years away from home? Must be nice.”

Ayanna sighed dramatically. “It was peaceful, I’ll tell you that. No one glaring at me for breathing too loudly. No terrifying older brother judging my life choices. But now? Now he’s back, and my freedom is over.”

Lylie smirked. “Dramatic much?”

Ayanna huffed. “You don’t understand. He’s… difficult.”

“Difficult how?”

“He’s cold. Stoic. Intimidating.”

Lylie wrinkled her nose. “Sounds fun at parties.”

Ayanna snorted. “He doesn’t do parties.”

“Oh, great. So he’s one of those.” Lylie rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. He walks into a room, and everyone stops talking because they’re too afraid to breathe in his presence?”

Ayanna winced. “…Pretty much.”

Lylie laughed. “Wow. He sounds exhausting.”

“Tell me about it.” Ayanna pouted, tilting her head so Lylie could fasten her hairpin. “And don’t even get me started on how Mother acts around him. She practically worships him.”

“Well, he is the king,” Lylie pointed out.

Ayanna waved a dismissive hand. “Details.”

Lylie chuckled, then leaned forward conspiratorially. “So… what does he look like?”

Ayanna smirked. “Curious, are we?”

Lylie scoffed. “Please. I just want to know if the kingdom’s ‘fearsome ruler’ has an actual face or if he’s just a walking shadow of doom.”

Ayanna laughed. “Oh, he definitely has a face. A very handsome one, unfortunately.”

Lylie raised a brow. “Unfortunately?”

“You’ll see.”

Lylie narrowed her eyes. “That’s suspiciously vague.”

Ayanna just grinned. “Trust me, you’ll understand when you meet him.”

Lylie waved a hand. “Oh, I doubt that. I’m not easily impressed, Princess. The last time I was impressed was when I saw a chicken outrun a grown man in the marketplace.”

Ayanna giggled. “You are so strange.”

“And yet, you keep me around.” Lylie smirked. “Now, stop moving, or I’ll make your hair look like a bird’s nest.”

Ayanna sighed dramatically. “Fine, fine. But be warned, Lylie.”

Lylie arched a brow. “Warned about what?”

Ayanna’s expression turned mischievous.

“My brother doesn’t like girls who talk too much.”

Lylie scoffed. “Do I even care?”

Ayanna just laughed.

Oh, if only Lylie knew what was coming.

********

The palace was buzzing with anticipation. Servants rushed back and forth, arranging flowers, setting up the grand dining hall, and making sure every single detail was perfect. The king was returning after five years, and no one wanted to be the unfortunate soul to disappoint him.

Lylie?

She couldn’t care less.

“Do these people think he’s a god or something?” she muttered, balancing a tray of fresh linens as she walked through the halls. “Honestly, all this effort for one man. If he’s been gone for five years, maybe he should be the one adjusting to us, not the other way around.”

Ayanna, walking beside her, bit back a laugh. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I try.”

The sound of trumpets rang through the air, announcing the king’s arrival. Lylie sighed dramatically. “Here we go.”

Ayanna nudged her. “Be careful, Lylie. He doesn’t have much patience for chatterboxes.”

Lylie scoffed. “Good thing I wasn’t planning on talking to him, then.”

But fate had other plans.

*****

Lylie had been rambling—as usual—while setting up Ayanna’s chambers when a deep, commanding voice cut through the air.

“Who are you?”

She turned.

And froze.

Oh.

Oh.

Michael stood in the doorway, watching her with an unreadable expression.

And wow.

Lylie had been expecting someone old, wrinkled, and permanently scowling. Instead, she was faced with a tall, broad-shouldered man with piercing eyes, sharp cheekbones, and a jawline that looked like it could cut glass.

Unfortunately, he also looked like he wanted to kill her.

Lylie blinked. “Oh, uh, hello, Your Majesty, sir, great and powerful ruler, terrifying presence of doom!” She blurted out, words tumbling over each other. “I’m Lylie. Lylie Foster. Maid. Talker. Frequent tripper. Lover of food and enemy of silence. Nice to meet you. Well, not nice exactly, more like—unexpected? No, that sounds bad. Surprising? No, that sounds worse. Um. Wow, you’re very tall.”

Silence.

Michael just stared at her.

His expression was unreadable.

Lylie swallowed. “Okay, cool. No response. That’s fine. That’s totally fine. Not at all terrifying. Nope. I am so comfortable right now.”

Nothing.

He was still just standing there.

Like a statue. A very scary statue.

Lylie cleared her throat. “So. Do you always glare at people like you’re mentally planning their funeral, or am I just special?”

Ayanna gasped from behind her.

The guards visibly tensed.

Michael’s lips twitched—just the faintest movement, barely noticeable.

But Lylie noticed.

And suddenly, she had a very stupid idea.

She smiled up at him, completely unfazed by his silence. “Ah! So you do have emotions. Good to know. I was starting to think you were secretly a really handsome ghost.”

The guards looked horrified. Ayanna choked.

Michael?

Michael just… turned and walked away.

Lylie blinked. “Oh. Huh. Well, that went better than expected.”

Ayanna gaped at her. “Better than expected?! Lylie, you just mocked the king.”

Lylie shrugged. “I mock everyone. It’s how I make friends.”

“Michael doesn’t have friends.”

“Well, maybe that’s because no one ever teases him.” Lylie grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll fix that.”

Ayanna buried her face in her hands. “We’re all going to die.”

Lylie just smiled.

Because for the first time in her life, she wasn’t afraid. Afraid of a devil with a handsome face or an arrogant wretched king!

She was curious. More than curious and curiosity always gets the better of her.

And that, she knew, was far more dangerous.